Fireside Chat

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NYC
United States

Don’t write a check your ass can’t cash! Worldly wisdom from the godfather of blaxploitation and a true jack of all trades.

You can call him the godfather of blaxploitation or you can call him _(artist-name)Melvin Van Peebles_. With his starring role in 1971's _(album-title)Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song_, Van Peebles ushered in a new era of self-affirming African-American cinema. The foundation set by his reckless, fearless and way-too-cool-for-school character in the movie served as the blueprint for many a flick to follow. Besides his achievements as an actor and filmmaker, Van Peebles also worked as playwright, novelist and recording artist. The fusion of soul jazz and spoken word he served up on records like _(album-title)Brer Soul_ and _(album-title)Ain't Supposed To Die A Natural Death_ anticipated rap music a good decade before its “official” inception. In 2005, Van Peebles was rumored to be working on a joint album with _(artist-name)Madlib_, but the project never came to fruition. After a 17-year absence from the record market, Van Peebles released his vinyl-only _(album-title)Nahh… Nahh Mofo_ LP in 2012 and is still regularly performing with his _(artist-name)Laxative_ band.